Blueberries.

The rows between the blueberries have repeatedly been rototilled as a sort of weed prevention, creating soft, loamy soil great for blueberry plants but with recent rains they’re now  8” muddy trenches that span 6’ wide. Our boots slip and slide, for standing to long in one spot creates a suction making it almost impossible to escape.

Rich and I headed over earlier and began with taking our shovel around about 4 plants cutting any intertwined roots. When the team of tractors arrived we hooked the strap to the bucket of the tractor and gave it our first tug. With a fabric based strap, it stretched as the bucked reached it’s max height. Dropping it down we looped it some more trying to create a short enough strap to lift the plant out of the ground. On our second pull we were successful.

I cheered as the guys gave me a half smile, I suppose it was because they knew getting it onto the trailer still lied ahead.

Even pulling our plants from the outer edge the mud gave the tractor some trouble, and when we went in for our second plant the issues were more apparent.

Remember these are our friend’s “antique” tractors that we’re pushing to the max. The weight is all at the front of the tractor which has a weak axel and bucket whose purpose is to move manure. The weight distribution was not on our side after pulling the plant and attempting to retreat back. After our second plant was on the trailer we all kind of stood mystified. We knew what the problem was but the solution seemed outside our scope of tools, resources and money.

Sitting on the trailer as we made our way back to the house, it no doubt felt like defeat. It was quiet, everything was still and everyone’s spirits had significantly dropped. While some may have deemed it impossible, Rich saw it as the next challenge – we did too much prep, and dug way to many holes by hand (see our first post here), to walk away now. We may have lost our first battle, but the blueberry war is not over. It’s time to call in the big guns…